Letting go and Holding on
by dmcorbell
Summary: Um, takes place after X-2, but comes before the third movie due out in 2006.


I sat down in Professor Xavier's room, where he was teaching telepathicy to young children you had the gift. Scott, I knew, was standing outside the door, thinking of Jean and everything he had done wrong. Professor Xavier looked over at me after dismissing his class and smiled.  
"You know, Bobby is just upstairs studying in Ororo's class. Why not go join him. Oh wait, he's coming down here. Did you plan to meet him here?" he asked me. I shook my head no. I felt a rush of blood go to my brain, and I heard someone speak.  
Rouge is so complicated. Why can't she understand I'm not afraid to touch her? She always pulls away when I try to get close to her. I thought Professor Logan had it bad.  
"Bobby, if you truly feel that way, why don't you just talk?" Professor asked Bobby as he entered the room.  
"I didn't say anything," Bobby said startled.  
"Ah. I know you didn't say anything, but why do you think I teach telepathicy?" he asked smiling. I jerked to look at the professor, who was staring at me with great concentration.  
"Something has changed about you, Rouge. What is it, what is it?" he said to himself. I imagined shutting my mind to him so he couldn't read it. Just as I did this, his eyes widened in shock.  
"Rogue what are you doing? No one's mind can be totally blank, unless of course they are telcenetic. You consume power, but there is something different about you," he said slowly. Scott came in and nearly dropped what he was holding. His eyes scanned over me, and then disappointment filled his face.  
"Sorry Professor, just a shock, that's all," Scott murmured. Professor Xavier concentrated on Scott and nodded.  
"That's whom I sensed too," he said as if he was talking to Scott out loud.  
Rogue does seem different. I wonder if it's because she is going to break with me.  
"Bobby, don't talk like I aint listening. Why do you think I'm gonna break this off with you. You mean a lot to me," I said harshly.  
"That's the thing Rogue, I didn't say it, I thought it." I looked over at the people in the room besides me. I hadn't heard him 'say' it; I had heard him think it.  
"You had to have said it, I'm not telepathic."  
"Yes, but the mind changes. If you're telekinetic, and you die, you obviously pass it on to your 'favorite follower' of this earth. If I am correct, Jean was always very fond of you, even though she had to be unemotional. She always wanted, and needed, for you to know more," Professor Scott said.  
"Yeah, but every teacher wants there student to raise a grade, or make there standards. I mean it isn't a big deal that I was her 'favorite', in fact I think she thought I was a trouble maker."  
"Yes Rogue, that is true. But what kind of girl do you think Jean was when she first came here? She was a mischievous young girl, and very shy at times. I take it you remember her Scott," Professor Xavier said smiling. Scott swallowed hard, his eyes filling with tears.  
"She would always be alone by herself, keeping away from anyone who she might hurt. Back then her powers weren't as stable, and she couldn't get into your mind without possibly hurting you. I always thought it was cute how she would cover her mouth and blush when she second guessed what you were going to say," Scott said smiling to himself.  
"Of course she would be like me," I mumbled sarcastically under he breath.  
"I really miss her," Scott said quietly.  
"In time, it will heal."  
"I know professor, but I am a professor too. I can't be all depressed around the student body. It could hurt your rep as a healer."  
"It will be fine."  
"Rogue needs to probably sleep it off. Maybe it's just a cold or something," Bobby said as if he knew my every last reason for living.  
"Rogue, it's up to you. You can either go out for a while and relax, or continue hearing things for a while."  
"I think I would rather go out for a while. I need the rest anyways. Whoever turned down a vacation before was absolutely insane," I said smiling. Both of my professors nodded their heads. Bobby nodded too, but I think it was more of a hard concentration nod.  
"Come on Rogue, I'll walk with you outside," Bobby said smiling. I followed his lead as he walked out the door.  
"So, you're not breaking it off?" Bobby asked me focusing on the ground.  
"Why won't you look at me when you talk?" I asked. He still didn't look at me.  
"I'm afraid of what you're going to say."  
"Bobby, do you trust me?" I asked him. This time he looked up at me.  
"Of course I do Rogue. I would believe you to the end of the world. I'm just scared you know."  
"Scared of what?"  
"Scared. you don't feel the same."  
"Bobby are you insane?" I said stopping. He looked away from me.  
"Okay, were all a bit insane. But, how could you think that I wouldn't feel the same way?" I said choosing my words without thinking.  
"You look at Logan like he used to look at Dr. Grey. It's like you have this thing for him I'm never going to have, and it scares me," Bobby said, his face as hard as stone.  
"Bobby, I look at Logan for support and help when nobody else can. We both have a goal in life, and that's to make everybody else completely hate our guts. And it's not just the fact that I look up to him, but he saved my life. More than once. He understands me, like. like no one else does."  
"That's exactly it Rogue, I want to understand you. But you push me away! I want to know you, to be able to really know that I can tell people that we really are a couple now Rogue. But I'm not sure myself! You don't even want me to smile at you, because when I do, you always seem to want to push me away. I want to be around you, but you act like I forced you into liking me."  
"Bobby, I. LIKE.YOU.BECAUSE.I.WANT...TOO!" I screamed. His expression faded.  
"Then why do you push me away?" he yelled. I stopped, my face inches from his.  
"Because," I said, " I don't want to hurt you."  
"Rogue," he whispered. He reached over to slide his hand across my cheek. I jumped away; scared if he touched me he would get hurt.  
"Why can't you just admit to the fact that I like you Rogue? As in really like you?" Bobby said as if I were hurting him. I couldn't look at him. I turned around and ran towards the school.  
"Rogue," Bobby yelled grabbing my arm, "you wont hurt me!"  
"Let me go!" I screamed. He grasped my arm harder.  
"No," he said gently, "I'm not letting go of something that has such a strong power over me. That would be like giving a nuclear bomb to your enemy."  
"Bobby, will you let me go if I let you hear something? I asked him. He looked at me.  
"And, let you see him?" his hand dropped. Slowly, we walked into the school, Bobby behind me.  
"Professor Scott, would you mind taking me to the hospital. I would like to show Bobby and old friend of mine," I said my eyes rock steady on Scott's glasses. Slowly, he nodded. I could tell the professor was communicating with him in his head.  
"Sure Rogue, lets go."  
We loaded into his car, all of us as nervous as the other. Once we got there, I slowly walked in first.  
"Who are you looking for young one?" a nurse asked me.  
"Um, mutant harmed people."  
"Okay, we only have one. He's been here for a while. Shall we go find him?"  
"Um yeah, he should still be there."  
Once we were in the room, an air chamber began.  
"They cut his oxygen off?" Bobby asked me.  
"Yeah. He doesn't need it. He can't breath anymore. In fact, he isn't really alive anymore. His family is keeping him barely alive. A mutant hurt him," I said looking at the boy on the bed. He was strapped down to the bed, his eyes shut with pain.  
"Who?" Bobby whispered touching the boys arm. I took a deep breath.  
"Me."  
"What do you mean, you?" he asked looking at me as if I was lying.  
"We were really close. He kissed me, and I put him into a coma. He came out of it a few months ago, when Stricker tried to kill the humans. He almost died, until they pushed him back into the coma."  
"Rogue, you can't hurt me," Bobby whispered. I could tell me telling him this hurt.  
"Hello?" the boy strapped to the table asked. I stepped back.  
"We have to go, now." Once we were back at school, I was totally flustered.  
"So, that's why I can't touch you without you drop kicking me."  
"Um." I couldn't answer Bobby.  
"Did.his.kiss.you know. mean anything to you?" he finally asked me. I smiled.  
"I just remember that I was scared when he did it, and after he did it. I forgot the rest. I was so scared, and when Logan picked me up off the streets." my voice faded off.  
"Sorry," Bobby said quietly. I nodded.  
"Why be sorry?" I asked him. I wasn't being sarcastic, but I knew I was being harsh.  
"I guess I deserved that," he said as if I had bitten him.  
"Well, you earned it. I mean I wouldn't say you deserved something so nice after how you talked to me." I was only joking, and he knew it this time.  
"Sorry for how I acted. I knew you had a dark past, but.whoa," he said looking out into the stars. They seemed so pure, so perfect, and so beautiful.  
"Say that you loved him," Bobby said slowly.  
"Loved who?" I asked stupidly.  
"You know, that guy in the hospital. Say that you loved him."  
"I didn't."  
"Are you sure?"  
"If I did love him, then why would I be here.with you?" I asked. He smiled to himself.  
"Because I'm irresistible."  
"You can dream."  
"Then why do you like me?" he asked me. I smiled.  
"Because, your Bobby." He smiled to himself.  
"Fair enough, fair enough. Now, why did he go into a coma?"  
"He kissed me."  
"Oh, that's what I forgot to do," he said smiling. He kissed my gloved hand and smiled at me.  
"Well, I think I forgot to do something," I said smiling.  
"What?" he asked. I smiled, and hit him square in the gut.  
"Oh nothing," I joked. He smiled from the floor.  
"We have an emergency," Professor Scott said walking out onto my balcony that was connected to my room.  
"You okay Bobby?"  
"Just fine, so what's the emergency?" Bobby asked from the floor, wheezing in pain.  
"Um, I think that Kurt and Storm have gone missing. I mean big time kidnapping. Whoever has the guts to get Storm into a cage is beyond manly sanity."  
"Um yeah, agreed," Bobby said. I had to admit; I didn't know guys still had sanity.  
"Do you need_" Scott cut me off.  
"Rogue, you and Bobby need to stay here. I'm sorry, but I can't let you two go," he said softly. I nodded.  
"Come one Rogue, lets_" but then I heard a huge boom, and sudden pain overwhelmed my body. I heard Bobby fall next to me, but I couldn't see him.  
"I've caught two more mutants," I heard a man yell. And then I was out. That's all I remember. And the next thing I remember is waking up in a hospital room, Bobby on my other side. I heard the faint beeping of his heart monitor, and I felt my heart swell in pain.  
"Bobby?" I asked. He sat up and looked at me.  
"You feeling okay?" he asked me. I smiled.  
"Yeah, I guess. Where are we?" I asked.  
"Your in a facility where everything seems safe. It's not. People around here are mutants, captured mutants. Kurt and I have learned that if you know what's going on here, the faster you get out. You just have to put the puzzle together. I'm so sorry they actually shot you Rogue, but here you can't use your powers. Here your completely helpless," a familiar voice said. It was Storm.  
"So why did they bring us here?" I asked. She paused.  
"They. I don't think they're even sure why they brought you here. Maybe they're afraid of what we can do. But were all mutants at heart. We all have something that sets us apart from the rest. That one flame that us mutants have though, doesn't exist in human." She left right after that.  
"So, um, what are we suppose to do?" Bobby asked me. I smiled and laughed.  
"No clue whatsoever."  
"Will you know anytime soon?" he asked me. I shrugged.  
Okay Rogue, I think you know, you just don't want to remember now.  
"Gosh Bobby, why are you being so harsh? I said I didn't know," I said rolling my eyes. I felt Bobby touch my hair. I looked at what he was looking at and gasped. My hair was turning red. Jean's color of red.  
"Oh my gosh Rogue, what's happening to you?" Bobby asked me as I stood there, my eyes completely blank. I shrugged my shoulders.  
"Just forget it, okay," I said suddenly annoyed. He looked at me in shock. The red streak was gone. I reached around to touch Bobby's flustered face with my gloved hand, only to find my gloves gone. He gasped as my hand made contact with his skin, and nothing happened.  
"My one wish for you is that you can touch people's lives as you have touched mine," a voice said in Rogue's head. I smiled and nodded at Bobby.  
  
"It's okay, I won't hurt you," I whispered. I could see Jean smiling from the corner of my eye. Her spirit floated as her face beamed. I leaned over and kissed Bobby gently. And then, all of the walls dissolved, and Scott was standing there as if we had never even been captured.  
"Actually Scott, were all right here. Even her." Scott looked around to see Jean's spirit floating. She had said it.  
"It's time to let go Scott. Move on." And then she disappeared. Scott nodded, tears coming from behind his glasses.  
"You know, a spirit always returns if they have unfinished business. And being in the X-Men group is always an unfinished business." I smiled at Bobby as I said this.  
"So, are we X-Men?" Bobby asked the four mutants who stood in front of us. They nodded.  
"Welcome to the team."  
  
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*--*-*-*-**-*-*-*--*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*--*-*-*-*- *-*-*-*-*  
  
Tada! I am finally finished with this story. Now I can focus on my Radio Free Roscoe story that is still in the works. I do not own the characters, setting, etc. The only thing I own is the plot. I did my disclaimer. Happy? Good. R&R. Later dayz. 


End file.
